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bridges

...bridge form. A beam carries vertical loads by bending. As the beam bridge bends, it undergoes horizontal compression on the top. At the same time, the bottom of the beam is subjected to horizontal
tension. The supports carry the loads from the beam by compression vertically to the foundations.

materials testing

When subjected to
tension (pulling apart), a material elongates and eventually breaks. A simple static
tension test determines the breaking point of the material and its elongation, designated as strain (change in length per unit length). If a 100-millimetre steel bar elongates 1 millimetre under a given load, for example, strain is (101–100)/100 = 1/100 = 1 percent.

normal stress

statics

Equal and opposite forces acting on a rigid body may act so as to compress the body (Figure 19A) or to stretch it (Figure 19B). The bodies are then said to be under compression or under
tension, respectively. Strings, chains, and cables are rigid under
tension but may collapse under compression. On the other hand, certain building materials, such as brick and mortar, stone, or concrete, tend to...

water transport in plants

...during transpiration has been called the cohesion theory. Two critical requirements of the cohesion mechanism of water ascent are (1) sufficient cohesive strength of water and (2) existence of
tensions (i.e., pressures below zero) and
tension gradients in stems of transpiring trees.